About Us

We care | We respect | We are inclusive

Originally formed in 2000, ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental health care, innovation and improvement. Our ambition is to make a positive difference by providing people with mental and community health care services that support their recovery. And help them to achieve the most fulfilling lives possible. Everything we do is driven by our values of care, respect and inclusivity. Our patients’ needs matter most and we are constantly working to improve our support for all who use and have contact with our services. Our extensive research approach, commitment to education and emphasis on quality means we are at the forefront of excellence in mental health care.

Outstanding Services

In September 2016, the Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The Trust was once again rated at 'Outstanding by the CQC in June 2018.

Our Patch

Wherever patients receive our services and from whichever team, our values of care, respect and inclusivity underpin all that we do. We were first established as a mental health trust to cover East London, but have been broadening our remit for some time. Our core area includes City of London, Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets and, Bedfordshire and Luton (since April 2015). We also deliver numerous services to many other people further afield. They include specialist services in north east London, Hertfordshire and Essex; psychological therapies in Richmond; and an award-winning specialist mother and baby psychiatric unit in Homerton that receives referrals from all across the south east.

Our Staff | Estate | Population

Our 5,500 staff, the heart of our operation, provide £390 million worth of services from over 100 community and inpatient sites. Our East London population totals around 750,000 and we are proud to serve one of the most culturally diverse parts of the UK. In Bedfordshire and Luton, we are now responsible for a further 630,000 people’s mental health and community health (Bedfordshire only) care needs.

Our Services

You can see the full range of our services in the website directory, but in brief the services we provide cover the following areas. Wherever possible our aim is to provide people with alternatives to hospital admission so that they can receive their care close to home, while remaining as independent as possible. We have: